People live in households with different configurations, with
names like nuclear households, extended and nuclear-compound households,
single-person households, and female-headed households, no-family households,
grandmother-headed and single-sex households, and so on. Household
dynamics is an interesting subject for study, with many dimensions about the
interrelationships among the household members, including optimal labor
allocation, gender inequality, fertility and family planning, spatial territory,
domestic violence, inheritance rights, etc. In this article, we will deal
with the subject of single person households, which means that we do not have to
deal with any of the complexities that arise out of intra-household personal
relationships.

Compared to the extended family, the single person household
is sometimes considered disadvantageous. For example, extended families
are thought to provide post-retirement support to the elderly; they provide
information and support for those who are in the labor market; and they provide a
support network for raising children. Nevertheless, single person
households have grew across the world for a number of reasons --- better
economic opportunities and resources, higher divorce/separation rates, lower
marriage/union rates, lower mortality rates, greater mobility to leave one's
home town for other cities or countries, etc.

We will now cite some survey data from the TGI Latina
survey. This is a survey of 48,885 households in eight Latin American
countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela)
conducted during 2001. According to this survey, 5.1% of the households
are constituted of single persons. The chart shows the breakdown of the
incidence of single person households by country and by socio-economic
level.

The next chart shows the breakdown by age/sex groups.

The next chart shows the breakdown by marital status and work.

The single person household phenomenon is due to some very different
social forces.

On one hand, there is the economic imperative. The
multi-person household is a social arrangement that permit the pooling of
economic resources --- for two persons, there is no need to pay twice the rent,
or buy two sets of appliances, and so on. But the price of this economic
sharing is an infringement on total personal freedom. Consequently, if one
has the economic means, one may prefer to pay one's own way and enjoy the
freedom. Under this scenario, the person would likely be more affluent,
better educated and be in the class of professionals and managers.

On the other hand, there is also the demographic
imperative. The breakdown of the institution of marriage means that more
divorced and separated people are living on their own. With better
healthcare and nutrition, people live to longer ages, outliving their
partners. Under this scenario, the person would likely be a widow/widower living
on fixed retirement income.

The data that we have shown support both scenarios: the
higher incidences among the professional and managers, and also the much higher
incidences among the separated/divorced/widowed and the elderly.